


Heat

by Castiolare



Category: One Piece
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29153364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Castiolare/pseuds/Castiolare
Summary: If it weren't for that stupid leopard, Jabra wouldn't be stuck out here in the desert... But if it weren't for Chaka, he wouldn't have realised what it was like to feel content.
Relationships: Jabra/Chaka (One Piece)
Kudos: 2





	Heat

**Author's Note:**

> AU in which after CP9's loss to the Strawhats (and the fall of Enies Lobby), they flee to Alabasta and hide out there, considering the World Government wants them dead for failing their mission. Implied romantic potential, because they both deserve to be loved.
> 
> Created: August 16, 2016  
> Finished: Feb 2, 2021

* * *

It was always seen that dogs and cats were like vinegar and oil, and neither would get along with the other. And it was because of this idea, that Jabra had determined that stupid spotted cat was to blame for his situation. If it hadn't been for his snarky comments about being unable to cope the country's scorching desert heat, the man doubted he'd be out here now, far from wherever he had been, and sweating bullets faster than his Shigan technique. 

If he had the chance, he'd love to add holes right in the centre of the pussycat's spots, and Lucci undoubtedly felt the same, had it not been for Kaku stepping in and pulling the two apart before the whole apartment was destroyed. They had been the first ones up and moving, soon followed by Kaku, but Blueno was a lot worse for wear, even if he hadn't taken as much damage as Lucci. The man wasn't as resilient as the Zoan-users, and Kalifa guessed that his legs were shattered, which meant any movement was on hold for quite a while.

Hattori, who had been assigned to watch over the four, cooed annoyedly at Lucci, trying to tug at his hair and force him to rest, whilst Kaku was attempting to stop Jabra, wrangling him with sore limbs and wounds threatening to reopen. However, the brunette wouldn't have it, and broke out of Kaku's hold, storming out before anyone could call him back. They knew trying to comfort Jabra was pointless, and that he'd return when he calmed down.

The only problem, however, is that he _couldn't_ return. 

Jabra hadn't kept track of where he went or what he saw, and soon it rolled to just past noon, and he had been walking for almost three hours endlessly, his body burning underneath his skin. If he could, he would take it all off without hesitation, but because of his thick tail of hair behind him slick with sweat, and his animalistic tendencies, doing so would make the situation worse, and he would be lugging around a heavy blanket of fur for God knows how long.

If there was any civilisation on this dry country, he had yet to encounter it, and honestly, Jabra doubted he would meet anyone in the never ending hills of red sand, as he collapsed under the shade of a rock. He had some dignity and kept his discarded jacket around his waist, his shirt sticking like glue against his chest and almost thin enough to be considered a tissue. The brunette panted, his eyelids threatening to fall shut from mere exhaustion, before letting out a loud howl that echoed across a great distance in a last cry for help, then allowing his body to rest.

 _Who am I kidding..._ He told himself, drifting to sleep. _It'd be one hell of a fucking miracle if I'm found at all..._

If that was the case, the Zoan-jackal user was secretly some kind of saint in disguise, as his instincts caught a faraway, but desperate howl, less than a day from his isolated location amidst the dunes of sand. Chaka and Pell had travelled to provide resources to the towns who lacked good conditions to farm. Most of which, were either close to another region able to feed itself, or were known to harvest resources other areas couldn't.

Pell glanced to his friend who stared out into nothing, a small smile crawling onto his face as he placed a hand on the other man's shoulder. "There is no crime in doing what you feel you must," the guardian said soothingly, setting the man visibly at ease. The man chuckled, giving him a light shove. "I can manage the rest from here, Chaka. Do what you believe is right." 

The man looked back to Pell in brief surprise, before smiling warmly, letting his animalistic features show. "Thank you, Pell." He said quietly, and sprinted away, only a deep concern and that howl which still rung in his ears to lead him. 

_Please be patient, my friend. Help is coming as fast as it can._

* * *

His first instincts upon waking up and realising that there was a canine Zoan beside him, Jabra had two ideas in mind: kill him, or let him live. The first would certainly raise questions, but he didn't detect any fear or malice off the Devil Fruit user, so it would possibly be in vain. But he smelt something unusual... pride? Loyalty? Whatever it was, it was _strong_. Almost as strong as the aroma of Alabasta's unique spices, but not quite, which made him wonder if he held some kind of importance. It was doubtful, and although Jabra didn't brush up on his folklore very often (if at all), falcons and jackals were depicted as gods in their mythology, and seen as guardians.

As skeptical and worthless his deduction was — more a theory with no evidence to support it, he chose the second option, but didn't let his guard down as he indicated he had awoken.

Chaka had glanced over, sitting across from the former CP9 agent with a crackling fire to separate them, and a small oasis within view. "You're a Devil Fruit user," he commented, stating the obvious as Jabra's fur, tail and fangs had shown once he had passed out. Jabra wanted to snarl an answer back like he would in the presence of the overgrown house cat, but held his tongue. Getting on this guy's bad side would probably be more trouble than he thought. "So are you," he answered, still hinted with the snappy attitude.

Surprisingly, the older of the two didn't react as expected. Instead, he gave a dry smirk, aware that his own ability was known. "I can smell leopard on you; a friend?" Jabra blinked, but let out a hearty laugh in response. "If I had the chance, I'd stick that overgrown house cat into a bath of seawater and make him drown." 

"You'd be lucky to make him have a proper bath," Chaka added, enjoying the friendly conversation. When he first found the young man drenched in sweat, there was a distinct predatory scent on him, but now that he was seemingly comfortable, it put him at slight ease; he didn't seem like someone trying to take Crocodile's place or to overthrow the king.

Jabra, on the other hand, was feeling somewhat uncomfortable, bellowing with laughter in the presence of another person. He hadn't laughed — _really_ laughed — with...anyone, like this. He doubted his mind was distracted from the heat or lack of hydration previously, and although his calm demeanour felt unnatural and disturbing, it felt _good_ , strangely enough. Even if the man was a complete stranger, it was some kind of comfort knowing that they would go no further than mere travel companions.

"So what's your Devil Fruit?" The younger asked casually, having settled down from his laughing fit. Chaka had watched him cautiously, as if afraid he would push himself too far, but didn't hide the snout and fangs growing (albeit stoically) in place of his usual facial features. "I'm a guardian of Alabasta, the jackal." He replied, and Jabra blinked.

Chaka hadn't expected the next comment to be, "Must be fucking difficult then." He stared at the brunette questioningly, in silence, and Jabra shifted to lay in his side with a yawn, propping his head up with his left hand, and the right having one finger pointing up. "If everyone on this ball of sand considers you and another Zoan to be some kind of God, it'd be difficult to control justice in this place, wouldn't it? Just because you're fast or powerful doesn't mean you can eliminate the enemy before they strike home."

"Are you saying that from experience?" Chaka questioned, curious at the tone and language used.

"I guess you could say that," he answered with a shrug.

"Alabasta is a free nation; we want nothing but peace, and bloodshed is a step back from that goal. Even if we alone cannot defend every inch of this country, we will protect it with every ounce of life left in us, and we are not afraid to die to maintain this peace." 

Jabra didn't comment, but didn't react either. Instead, he sat up and undid the (rather shitty) hair tie keeping his mess of hazelnut somewhat in place; brushing it would be a fucking ass tomorrow, but he didn't care, the sand felt soft and that was enough to sway him. He lay back down, back facing Chaka with his jacket as a makeshift blanket, and closed his eyes. "Just because you want peace doesn't mean the world will simply _give_ it you. Expecting so much of something that can't fulfil dreams is _pathetic_."

Neither of the men there expected such a reaction, as Chaka stood up silently, removing his robe and threw it over Jabra, meeting the surprised gaze with his own sharp, predatory eyes. "Dreams cannot be fulfilled unless you _work_ to fulfil them; having ambitions and doing nothing to reach them is worthless, and as a guardian of this country, I _will_ do what I must to ensure the ambitions of this country are fulfilled."

There was a strange silence brought on by Chaka's words, their faces only inches away (Chaka's jackal-like features had shown themselves with a firm snout and unflinching gaze), eyes unblinking as they bore into the other, as if trying to find their weakness and expose it, even if Jabra's was in surprise at his words, and Chaka's in pure honesty and determination. Not many would go so far to protect what isn't theirs, especially those of CP9; they had their own ideas and opinions, and just sought what they were after with no particular goal in mind. But the man before him... He truly seemed dedicated to serving this country, and that was considerably admirable, especially since he appeared to be a person who would not submit to another's control. 

The former agent was first to blink out of his trance, and Chaka awkwardly followed, rubbing his eyes with a tired sigh. Any reply would be useless at such a situation that neither could quite explain, so the man returned to his spot and simply stared into the fire, trying to explain his actions mentally.

* * *

Both Zoan users had learnt to awaken early to train, despite how lazy Jabra was; yet somehow, he had crawled out from Chaka's fine robe with a slight blush (having pulled it on during the night and buried himself in the other's scent) before dawn, and immediately remembered the state of his hair. If that stupid cat was vulnerable to bathing (he hadn't ever seen him take a bath, although Lucci had dismissed it despite coughing up a few cough balls on occasion), his weakness was his hair. Even if it was always tangled and impossible to brush, whenever he slept without a hair tie, he became a human mop every morning. And unless he wanted to try ripping a brush through his hair, he always had to wash it before stuffing it together with a hair tie; not with any kind of shampoo or conditioner, though, he wasn't that particular.

So, within a few minutes, he found himself in the small, but deep oasis still visible from their campsite.

Wait. _Their?_ Did he really just pluralise him and that stranger in sentence? He splashed some water onto his face, and panted, trying to erase the thought from his head. Jabra didn't even know his name and now he was obsessing over him more than he would to anyone he met. Even if it couldn't be considered a big deal, to the brunette, it was _massive_. He barely distinguished anyone or anything, no matter who they were, so this was a new and unusual situation for him.

"I never got your name," Chaka's voice broke his thoughts, and he realised the other had begun to strip down, his thin undershirt already removed to reveal years of training in the form of a well-defined, but not over-the-top set of muscles. It wasn't a "woman's eye candy", especially since he hadn't bragged about his chest, but Jabra had to admit, it was a nice sight, since Lucci was the only one who shamelessly exposed himself, and he didn't bother to check him out like he was now.

Fuck, he _seriously_ admitted to himself that he was checking this guy out! 

"Jabra," he muttered, trying to casually avert his gaze as Chaka folded his pants alongside his discarded shirt. However, it was hard to get anything past a sharp-eyed creature like a jackal, and he immediately caught onto his sudden embarrassment. "What's there to be embarrassed about?" He asked with a chuckle and lowered himself into the water, "unless you feel intimidated by me."

The Zoan laughed as Jabra barked out useless replies with a beetroot red blush, and hid his face in the water as best he could. "I'm Chaka," he said finally, extending a hand to Jabra. The brunette stared at it doubtfully for a moment, before delivering a firm handshake. He then returned to his previous spot, which, intentionally, was arm's width away from the other, trying to keep himself from sounding like too much of an idiot.

"What were you doing in the middle of nowhere, Jabra?" Chaka asked, the name new to him, and still quite awkward to say, especially since they met less than a day ago. The man clicked his tongue in annoyance, and seemed to be picturing the source of his irritation. "The fucking leopard sticks his tail where it isn't needed."

"So "he" stirs you up?" Chaka asked for verification. 

Jabra shrugged. "If that's how you want to word it. Bastard never fails to piss me off..." The wolf-Zoan growled quietly, the water bubbling around his face as he sunk to the tip of his nose, probably cursing said man to the depths of hell. He finally emerged, rinsing his face with a sigh. "What about you... Chaka?" He hesitated upon saying his name, and shook his head. "I can't imagine any human being would be out here willingly."

"Does that mean you're not human?" He asked with a smirk.

"Well, any _non_ -Devil Fruit users." Jabra compromised.

"There's a whole country who lives with this, you know!" Chaka laughed, as the younger man barked with no bite, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Y-You know what I mean, you bastard!" He stammered, splashing him with water. The jackal-Zoan continued to bellow with laughter as they begun to splash each other with water in an attempt to silence the other one.

Chaka finally calmed down, as Jabra had brought himself closer to throw more water onto him. The man could see his cheeks tinted red, not so much from embarrassment now, but from tiring himself with such a fruitless task. He wore quite an innocent look with his face smudged in tomato-red, and Chaka wouldn't say it aloud, but he quite liked how Jabra looked, with a strange sense of innocence that he doubted he would show to many.

"As a guardian, I have to aid anyone in our country; we were providing supplies to a rural area when I heard your cry." Chaka explained.

"We?"

"My nakama, Pell, the falcon-Zoan user." 

Jabra appeared a bit surprised at his language, and the former agent explained without any question, "My associates are merely acquaintances. I haven't had any "nakama" before, in my life." A strange silence drifted over them, until he said finally, "What exactly does being one's nakama imply, Chaka?" The question was awkward for both men, and neither knew how to react. The younger felt stupid for asking such a question, as Chaka pulled himself out of the water and begun to dress himself.

"Well," Jabra looked to the half-dressed traveller who had begun to speak. "It is an unspoken deal between two people, I suppose. Just because you don't have anything in common with them, or you don't like talking with them, doesn't mean they can't be your nakama." The Devil Fruit user pulled on the last of his clothes, a light shirt to absorb his sweat, and smiled to Jabra. "It's that sense of trust that you will help the other in a time of need, just like I did for you."

The younger blinked, mouth gaping like a goldfish. "You mean—"

Chaka's smile widened into a grin that made the former agent think of the Strawhat kid from Enies Lobby, but the smile didn't make him disgusted, even if it held the same intentions as the boy had. "Looks like I'll be your first friend, Jabra-san," Chaka said enthusiastically, taking said male by surprise, and causing him to dunk his head to hide the blush staining his whole face. Chaka laughed joyfully, as he resurfaced and spat out what he had suddenly (and accidentally) swallowed, and the man held out his arm, to Jabra's confusion. 

Usually when people laugh, he knew it as something mocking, but what was funny about that? What kind of friend did that? He looked away annoyed, and Chaka blinked, before realising that he probably hadn't learnt the basics of friendships. "I'm sorry if I insulted you," he said, getting down on one leg, and held out his hand, "but two things that friends always do, is make each other smile, and hold out a helping hand for them." 

The wolf watches Chaka in mild surprise, looking between him and his hand. The former agent chuckles, and takes the other’s hand with a laugh.

“Guess you’re my nakama after all, Chaka.”


End file.
